Should Congress Further Mandate Mental Health Parity?
September 16, 2002
NCPA to Provide Pros and Cons, and Rival Methods for Controlling Costs at Capitol Hill Briefing
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 16, 2002) -- The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA), the nation's leading think tank for free-market approaches to health policy, will host a briefing to debate the pros and cons of the proposed mental health parity mandate, as well as possible methods for controlling costs. Among the questions to be discussed:
- Is a new mental health parity mandate worth the associated price?
- Who gains and who loses?
- Will a new mandate force employers to reduce their coverage, or even drop it entirely?
- Should all services be treated alike, or is there a need for distinctions?
- Should Congress be in the business of mandating what employers do and do not cover?
- Is stigma still a problem in mental health care?
Who: Rep. Jim DeMint (R-SC) -- Introduction
Henry Harbin, M.D., Chairman, Magellan Health Systems & American Managed Behavioral Healthcare Association (AMBHA)
Paul Dennett, Vice President, Health Policy, American Benefits Council
Sally Satel, M.D., W.H. Brady, Jr., Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
John C. Goodman, President, NCPA
What: Capitol Hill Briefing on Mental Health Parity
When: Tuesday, September 17, 2002, 10:00 - 11:30 A.M. ET
Where: Rayburn Office Building, Washington, D.C.